Christopher J. Fettweis is Professor of Political Science at Tulane University. He is the author of Losing Hurts Twice as Bad (2008), Dangerous Times? (2010), The Pathologies of Power (2013); and Psychology of a Superpower (2018).

• Preface


• Introduction


• Chapter 1: The Roman Empire


• Chapter 2: The Tang Dynasty


• Chapter 3: The Mongols


• Chapter 4: The Ottoman Empire


• Chapter 5: Imperial Spain


• Chapter 6: The British Empire


• Conclusion


• Sources


• Index

In The Pursuit of Dominance, Christopher J. Fettweis examines the grand strategy of previous superpowers to see how they maintained, or failed to maintain, their status. Over the course of six cases, from Ancient Rome to the British Empire, he seeks guidance from the past for present US policymakers. Fettweis is most interested in how these superpowers defined their interests, the grand strategies these regimes followed to maintain superiority over their rivals, and how the practice of that strategy worked. A sweeping history of grand strategy, this book looks at the past 2,000 years to highlight what--if anything--current US strategists can learn from the experience of earlier superpowers.